Okay. I will

Friends :)

How many of you agree that on the outside we can be busy, moving, seemingly free

But on the inside there can be a lament, even a storm? 

I decided to share my journal entry today. (Consider it a modern "It is well" anthem)

Praying for you each!

- Joel David

Okay. [I will] - Joel Howard, 10.20.18

Pain is caught in my throat

Sorrow hugs me today

Tears line my cheeks and those of ones I care for

Pockets bare, stomach empty, suffering surrounds me

It is my world... she cries and laments

Poor are everywhere

Over 1 billion, I heard on the news

Skinny kids, sick kids, unclothed kids

Why do the poor languish?

Why are the old alone? 

Why are the young esteemed? 

They know nothing

We know little, quite nothing. 

And as we consider our human poverty

I say - I will. And it is through her suffering she will be reformed

Not instead of it. Like the discipline of childhood

Bare cupboards? I will

Empty pockets? Yes

Suffering around the bend? Okay

A "no" from above? It's well

Distant loved ones? I'm fine with that

Past pain? Its okay

Can I endure the suffering of a lifetime? I will

Can I drink this, your cup? I will

Can I praise you in these tears?  I will

Is your embrace of my heart sufficient? It is

Can I slow down to your pace?  Yes, I will

Will I stop and Sabbath as an act of worship?  Okay

In silence I approach Heaven's arms

In stillness I sense your kind smile

Kindness surrounds me. 

Its okay, and I will

My yes of faith becomes my vow today. 

Your will? Its okay..

----

Also, on a related note, how in touch are we with our inner suffering and lament and that of our world and fellow human kind?  Meditate using the photo below, it helped me 

A woman cries as she uses the recovered mobile phone of her daughter who was killed in the massive earthquake at Paul, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia Thursday, October 4, 2018.  The mother did not get the chance to see the body of her daughter after she was buried earlier in a mass grave. msn.com